OEwaves Received Award from DARPA to Investigate GMTI Radar Feasibility for WASP UAV

OEwaves to develop Ground Moving Target Indication (GMTI) Radar Design for one of the smallest UAV's, the WASP, developed under a previous DARPA Program

Pasadena, CA - June, 24 2010 --[ASDWire]-- OEwaves performed a study based on its unique microwave photonics technologies, when combined with conventional RF technologies, to investigate the feasibility of deploying a miniature GMTI radar system on the WASP UAV. Using Whispering Gallery Mode (WGM) optical resonator technology, OEwaves developed and demonstrated a transmit/receive capability that is small in size and weight, consistent with the GMTI Radar parameters required to enable detection of slow moving personnel and material, and compatible with the power availability payload capacity of the WASP UAV. The findings of this study will support development of a future DARPA program addressing this need.

OEwaves' unique microwave photonic technology simplifies the architecture of conventional microwave techniques by addressing the critical need to substantially reduce its size and power requirements. This is accomplished through the patented technology of ultra-high quality factor crystalline whispering gallery mode optical resonators. Based on the previously demonstrated use of WGM resonator in a monopulse receiver configuration, this one-step photonic mixing, combined with the small bandwidth of the miniature resonator and the photodetector, eliminates the multiple steps of mixing and filtering required in conventional super heterodyne receivers.